Butterfly Dreams
by Nutmeg615
Summary: Her hair, all that teal and purple, stuck in his mind. Shuuhei found himself dreaming of her. He couldn't remember much else about her. There was no name, no color of her eyes. He couldn't remember where he had seen her...Who was she? ShuuheiXOC Disclaimer: I don't own any Bleach characters.
Her hair, all that teal and purple, stuck in his mind. Shuuhei found himself dreaming of her. He couldn't remember much else about her. There was no name, no color of her eyes. He couldn't remember where he had seen her, and he hadn't mentioned her to his friends. Part of him thought she was a figment of his imagination. Still Shuuhei found himself thinking of her and sketching her face.

After going home from a night out with his friends, Shuuhei stood in his bedroom and stared at his futon. He knew when he closed his eyes he'd see her again, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that. Turning around, he headed outside for some fresh air. Flash stepping to the top of the wall that surrounded Seireitei, Shuuhei paced from the West gate to the South gate and back several times. He tried to place her. Was she at the Academy? Was she in a division? Had he seen her on his last mission to Karakura Town?

"Problems, Vice Captain Hisagi?"

Shuuhei looked over at Jidanbo, the gatekeeper of the west gate. "Can't sleep." Sitting on the edge of the wall, Shuuhei faced Rukongai. Was she out there?

"I keep dreaming of this woman, but I don't know who she is or where I know her from."

"There are worse things than being kept awake by pretty women."

"I suppose," Shuuhei shrugged. The two men sat in silence for a while. Something caught Shuuhei's attention. He crouched on the edge of the wall and waited. Glancing at Jidanbo, he listened. The gatekeeper nodded when they heard the noise again.

Shuuhei flash stepped down to a branch of a tree in the forest. His eyes adjusted to the darkness and he listened. He heard them to his left, and it wasn't long before a woman ran into the clearing. She wore a cloak that covered her hair and kept her face in the shadows. Despite that, Shuuhei could tell she was afraid. She was running from someone. As she looked back, she stumbled over a fallen branch.

"This way!" someone shouted.

Quietly, Shuuhei flash stepped down to her. "I won't hurt you," he whispered as he picked her up and flash stepped back to the branch in the tree. "Shh."

"Where did she go?" a man asked as he stepped carefully into the clearing followed by two others. "How could you let her get away?"

She gripped Shuuhei's uniform and trembled against him.

"What do they want from you?" Shuuhei whispered. She shook her head, unable to answer him.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had been paying attention." The first man glared at the others. "She better not ever show her face around here again."

"Hold on to me," Shuuhei instructed. As she wrapped her arms around him, he quickly bound the three men with kido. In the distance, the west gate fell. Shuuhei flash stepped back up to the edge of the wall.

"I'm sorry, Vice Captain Hisagi. You used kido. I thought it best to close the gate."

He nodded. "There are three men bound in a clearing in the forest."

"What did they do?"

Shuuhei looked from the gatekeeper to the woman who still clung to him. "I'm not sure," he said quietly. "Are you hurt?" He tried to pull her away from him, but she held on. "Please. I won't let them hurt you."

Slowly she released her grip on him. "Promise?"

"I promise. I'm Shuuhei. I'm a shinigami."

"Hitomi." She took a small step away from him.

"What happened? Why were those men chasing you?"

"I..." she trailed off embarrassed. Looking down at the forest, she told him, "I was hungry. I took an apple."

"An apple? They were chasing you for an apple?" Jidanbo asked.

"Stealing food is common enough in parts of Rukongai. Unless there's more you're not telling us."

Hitomi shook her head.

Shuuhei flash stepped down to the branch he had been on earlier. "Why?"

"She stole from us. No one steals from us!"

"You expect me to believe you chased a woman into the forest over a piece of fruit?"

"No one steals from us!" the man repeated. "Why do you care?"

"Here." Shuuhei tossed down a few coins to more than cover the cost of the apple. "I'll release you when I have your word that you won't go looking for her again."

"But, she was..." the smallest man began.

"Shut up!"

"Continue," Shuuhei commanded.

"She was to marry me. If she couldn't afford to eat, she could at least be my bride. I would keep her fed."

Shuuhei stared down at the men. Finally he spoke to them again. "She is no longer your concern." He released them and flash stepped up to the wall. Grabbing Hitomi's wrist, he nodded at Jidanbo and then flash stepped to the ninth division. He pulled her through the streets as he headed toward his quarters.

"You promised," Hitomi muttered.

Shuuhei stopped and turned to look at her. "What?"

"You're hurting me and you promised you wouldn't hurt me."

Shuuhei let go of her. "I'm sorry."

Hitomi rubbed her wrist. "Where are you taking me? Am I in trouble?"

"You're not in trouble." He began walking and she followed. "I'm taking you to my quarters. You need to eat something."

She started to protest, but her stomach gurgled in response. "Maybe I'll let you take me home."

Shuuhei lead her inside his quarters. "You can clean up if you want. I'll get something ready for you to eat. You could take your cloak off."

"You aren't afraid of me."

He cocked his head. "Should I be?" She laughed. "If you were going to hurt me, you had plenty of opportunity to do so in the forest. If anything, you should be scared of me."

"But I'm not."

...

Hitomi sat in the bathtub. She couldn't believe he had let her take a bath, and she wondered how long he would let her stay.

There was a brisk knock on the door. "Your food is ready," he called.

"Thank you." She took a few more moments to gather her courage. Getting out of the tub, she wrapped a towel around her and cleaned up her mess from the bathroom. She put her thin dress back on wishing she had something better. Looking at herself in the mirror, Hitomi wondered what Shuuhei would think of her. Her brown eyes scanned her image. She supposed she was pretty, but not gorgeous. Her hair was halfway down her back. The underside was a bright teal and the top was a light purple. She wondered what he would think of the tattoo she'd noticed while she was in the bath. A trio of black butterflies danced on her wrist.

She walked out of the bathroom prepared to thank him. He'd let no harm come to her, and she had felt safe with him. "Shuuhei, I..." Hitomi stopped when she saw him. He sat slouched on his couch, obviously asleep. In front of the couch, the kotatsu was loaded with food. Hitomi sat at the kotatsu and ate the meal he had prepared for her. She wondered where he had bought it. The food was delicious.

Piling up her dishes when she finished, she took them to the kitchen and washed them. Hitomi was careful to be quiet as to not wake Shuuhei. As she laid the last dish to dry, she contemplated where she would sleep. She peeked into Shuuhei's bedroom and thought that might be too personal, but with him on the couch, there weren't many options. She wasn't going to stay awake until he woke up. Hitomi sat on the couch next to him and debated the pros and cons of waking him. Somewhere during her internal debate, she fell asleep next to him.

...

Shuuhei woke up stretched out on the couch. His back was to the room, and he smiled at Hitomi who was snuggled up against him. As the fog of sleep lifted from his brain, he realized that he was looking at the woman that had been in his dreams. The teal and purple hair that teased him in his dreams was currently on his couch. He wondered for the millionth time how he knew her, and what color her eyes were. Slowly he got up, not wanting to disturb her. Shuuhei covered her in a blanket and went to get ready for the day.

After leaving Hitomi a note telling her that he would be back around lunch, Shuuhei left his quarters. He flash stepped to the West Gate. Jidanbo greeted him.

"Vice Captain Hisagi! Where's Hitomi?"

"She's sleeping."

"And now you have two women keeping you awake at night?" the gatekeeper laughed.

"Just one."

"Just one?"

Shuuhei smirked. "The woman from my dreams is Hitomi."

"How did she take that?"

"I haven't told her yet. She was sleeping when I woke up and realized it." Shuuhei looked at the gatekeeper. "I'm still not sure how I know her. Last night was the first time I met her." He looked out into Rukongai. "I told them that she was no longer their concern. I'll help her find a place where she belongs."

"You mean a place with you?"

Shuuhei smirked. "If that's what she wants."

"I think you should bring her by. I'd like to see her again."

"I think I can manage that."

After running some errands, Shuuhei went to the ninth division supplies room to get another futon. He thought it might be best for Hitomi to have her own place to sleep. They couldn't sleep on the couch together every night, and he wasn't sure if she would want to sleep next to him. Shuuhei thought it would be best to have the option of her own futon. Picking one, he flash stepped back to his quarters.

"Hitomi, I..." he looked around, noticing that she was not there. "Hitomi?" Seeing the note on the kotastu, he dropped the futon and picked up the note.

 _'We have your woman. If you want her, come and get her.'_

"Idiots," Shuuhei muttered as he flash stepped again to Ikkaku's quarters.

"Well, well, well. Hisagi finally joined us." Ikkaku slapped Shuuhei on the back as a way of greeting.

"What have you two done?" When neither Ikkaku or Yumichika replied, Shuuhei asked them, "Where's Hitomi?"

"In the kitchen."

Shuuhei headed to the kitchen and for a moment, he just watched her. Curiosity got the better of him and Shuuhei walked over to her and turned her around to look at her.

"Oh. Hi." She smiled at him.

"Your eyes are brown," he muttered more to himself.

"Yes. Is that bad?"

"No. I just... I was just curious." Shuuhei looked around the kitchen. "What are you doing?"

"They said you owed them lunch, so I offered to make them something."

"I would have taken care of it."

"I don't mind." Hitomi turned back to her prep work.

"I'll help you."

"That's really not necessary. I like to cook."

"I don't mind helping you."

"I'm just making some sushi rolls. It's..."

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Shuuhei said in disbelief as she spread a yellow-orange paste on the sushi.

"Yumichika said you loved sea urchin." Hitomi looked down at the roll and then back at him. The look on his face said it all. "He was being sarcastic. You don't like it at all, do you?"

"No. It's one of the few things I won't eat."

"I'm sorry."

"It's ok. You didn't know." Shuuhei grabbed a bamboo mat and laid out the rice. Hitomi watched as he quickly made a sushi roll without sea urchin.

"You've done this before."

"Many times. I like to cook." Shuuhei looked over and leaned down to whisper, "We'll let them eat that one. You and I can eat the one I made."

Hitomi smiled at him. "Did you make the meal I had last night?"

"I did. Half was my dinner last night, and what was left over was supposed to be my lunch today. I don't mind sharing it with you."

"It was really good."

"Thank you. I like your dress." It was a sleeveless black dress with dark pink butterflies dancing along the bottom.

"When Yumichika and Ikkaku kidnapped me, they insisted on taking me shopping first. This was the first dress I saw that I liked. I like butterflies. I have a butterfly tattoo." Hitomi held out her wrist for him to see the tattoo.

"How long ago did you have it done?"

"I've always had it."

"Always?"

"Yes." Uncertain, she rubbed her finger over the tattoo. It always brought her comfort.

"It's unusual for tattoos to transfer with you. Hair color and eye color are part of you. Tattoos don't imprint on your soul."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No, it's just rare. I got my tattoos here. The first one when I was a lot younger. A man saved my life and I got a tattoo just like his to honor him."

"Was his on his face too?"

"No but in my defense, I was young and impulsive. The other one I got after I graduated the Shinigami Academy."

They worked in silence for a few minutes before Hitomi spoke again. "Shuuhei, I want to thank you for last night; for saving me."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I fell asleep. I..."

"You were out late because of me. It's alright."

He smiled because she didn't know how right she was. He had been out because he didn't want to see the woman from his dreams. The woman who he rescued. "I've been having this recurring dream, and I didn't want to dream about it last night. I went out to the gate to clear my head."

"Was it a bad dream?" she asked as she rolled another sushi roll.

"No. The person in my dream is a mystery to me. I wake up wondering about them and not feeling very rested."

"Did you dream about them last night?"

Shuuhei thought a moment. Had he dreamed about her last night? "I don't think so."

...

Shuuhei woke up feeling rested. While he had dreamed of Hitomi, he knew her now, so the dreams didn't leave him curious. Not knowing where he'd seen her before was still a mystery to him, but he was finding it wasn't important. After lunch and hanging out with Yumichika and Ikkaku, they had returned to Shuuhei's quarters for dinner. Then they'd talked for a long time. It wasn't until Hitomi yawned that Shuuhei had realized how tired he was feeling.

He looked over at her and wondered who had reached out for who in the middle of the night. Her hand laid in his. Shuuhei rubbed his thumb over the butterflies on her wrist. Smiling to himself, he watched her until he fell back asleep.

He woke again quickly when her hand slapped his chest. He still held her other hand, but now she was laying against him with her breasts against his chest. Maybe that was what had prompted his erotic dream.

"Save me," she muttered.

"Hitomi," he called softly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Promise?"

"I promise." Shuuhei wasn't sure if she was still dreaming. Softly he kissed the top of her head.

"Shuuhei..." she began after a moment.

"Shh." He held her against him because it was better than the thoughts in his head. He wanted to comfort her and kiss her; to keep her safe, protect her, and touch her. He wanted to take her and by taking her, make her forget whatever had happened in her dream.

"I feel safe with you," Hitomi admitted quietly.

"My thoughts aren't very safe right now."

She smiled against him. "They aren't about hurting me are they?"

"They're about pleasing you; spending a lot of time doing nothing but pleasing you." Shuuhei released his grip on her as his want calmed down. "I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me to say."

"Was it honest?"

"Yes. Honesty is a quality I value very highly. I've been lied to before, and betrayed." He sat up. "Not by a woman, but by the captain of my division."

"Betrayal is hard; regardless of if you've been betrayed by a loved one or a friend."

Shuuhei nodded in agreement. "I do want you, Hitomi. I like you."

Hitomi sat up next to him. "I like you, too and you do make me feel safe."

"If we're being honest, there's something I need to tell you. Wait right here." Getting up, Shuuhei went to get the sketch he had drawn. When he turned to head back to his bedroom, Hitomi was waiting for him at the door.

"I thought..."

"It's not bad." He took her hand and lead her to the couch. "Remember when I said I was having a recurring dream?" She nodded. "After a couple weeks, I couldn't get her out of my head. I had no idea where I had seen her before. So I sketched her. It's not perfect, but it's close."

Hitomi took the paper he handed her. She stared at a sketch of her own face. "Her eyes are closed. Is that why you were curious about the color of my eyes."

"They were never opened in my dreams. I never heard your voice either," he realized. "What stuck out for me most was your hair."

"When did you see me before? They say you only dream about people you've seen in person before."

"I have no idea. The top of the wall was the first time I spoke to you. I didn't realize she was you until I woke up on my couch and saw your hair." He smiled at her.

"Are you planning on keeping me here?"

"If you want. My reiatsu doesn't bother you, does it?"

"Reiatsu?"

"Spiritual pressure. Most people in Rukongai feel a pressure..."

"I don't feel it. I didn't feel anything with Yumichika or Ikkaku either."

Shuuhei smirked. "If you didn't feel mine, you shouldn't have felt theirs. The three of us have about the same level of reiatsu. What district were you a part of in Rukongai?"

"I was in the 12th West District."

"The 12th? How did you get to the wall?"

Hitomi smiled. "I ran as far, as fast, and as long as I could. I was kind of hoping they would give up the chase, but they didn't."

"You don't have to go back there. We'll find something for you to do in Seireitei." He glanced at her night shirt. "For now, I think we should get dressed."

...

Hitomi walked out of the bathroom wearing a navy blue dress. There were a few white silhouettes of butterflies fluttering around the waist of the dress. She found Shuuhei in the kitchen cooking. He was already dressed in his uniform.

"Do you need any help?"

"I'm almost done. Pour us something to drink."

While Hitomi prepared their drinks, Shuuhei plated their breakfast. He put the plates on the table and held out a chair for her.

"I like this dress, too. More butterflies, I see."

She smiled. "Yes. I didn't get much. I don't have any money, and I didn't want your friend to pay for it."

"Yumichika would have enjoyed playing dress up with you." Shuuhei took a bite of eggs; that's when the thought hit him. "I have an idea."

"About what?"

"There's someplace I want to take you before I have to go into work."

...

The Academy students stared at them as they walked through the Shinigami Academy. Shuuhei stood out as a vice captain, but Hitomi stood out more because of her bright hair.

"Everyone is staring at me," she whispered as they turned a corner.

"There's a couple reasons for that. First, you're beautiful. Second, you're with me."

They stepped out into a courtyard. "I'm not beauti...Oh Shuuhei." She stepped out further into the courtyard where countless black butterflies flitted around.

"These are Hell Butterflies. Shinigami use them for traveling between Soul Society and the Human World. We also use them for communicating. They send messages and orders to other shinigami." A Hell Butterfly landed briefly on his outstretched hand. "I had a very excited one when I came back from my last mission a few weeks ago. It was flying in circles beside me and though the Dangai it was like joy riding."

Hitomi laughed. "What was your last mission?"

"Defeating some hollows. Then I got called to..." He trailed off and stared at her. "That's where I saw you. It was on my mission. I got called to do a soul burial. I was the closest shinigami." Shuuhei reached out for her hand. "It was your soul burial. I sent your soul here."

"Oh...I..." She looked away from him, unsure what to say.

Shuuhei watched her walk around the garden. Several butterflies stayed with her. He wasn't sure what else to say to her. Should he apologize?

"There you are, Hisagi-san. You're late for the Vice Captains meeting." Kira stepped out into the garden.

"Sorry. I'll be right there."

"I can't leave without you," Kira told him.

Shuuhei sighed and walked over to Hitomi. "I have a meeting that I'm late for."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm keeping you from working."

"I don't mind, Hitomi. I like being with you."

"Can I stay here while you're working?"

He smiled at her. "I don't see why not. If you get hungry before I get back, go to the cafeteria and get something to eat."

"I don't have any money."

"Give them my name. I'll take care of it."

"I can't ask you to pay for everything."

"You're not asking. I'm offering." He started to walk away. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

Hitomi nodded. "I'll be here."

He hesitated for a moment before surrendering to his desires. Shuuhei wrapped one arm around Hitomi's waist, pulled her to him and kissed her. Her arms came around him, and she gave herself to him and the kiss. When he finally pulled back a few heated minutes later, Shuuhei had to stop himself from kissing her again.

"I'll be back soon," he told her again. Shuuhei kissed her. Someone grabbed the back of his uniform and pulled him away from Hitomi.

She watched the blonde man pull Shuuhei out of the courtyard before she sat on the ground. Taking a deep breath, Hitomi tried to find her balance.

"Yeah, I'd feel the same way if someone just kissed my brains out."

Hitomi smiled. "Wow."

The other girl laughed. "Was that your first kiss?"

"With Shuuhei? Yes." Hitomi looked over at the girl. "I'm Hitomi."

"Mai. Are you going to be a student here?"

"Oh. I don't know. Shuuhei brought me here to see the butterflies."

"They like you. That one hasn't left you since you came here." Mai pointed to one of the butterflies near Hitomi's shoulder. Hitomi held out her hand and the butterfly landed on her finger.

 _'Don't be upset with him. If he hadn't performed your soul burial, you would have become a hollow, and he would have had to defeat you.'_

Hitomi looked at Mai. "Did you hear that?"

"Messages from Hell Butterflies are private to the person receiving them."

"This wasn't a message. It talked to me."

 _'Most shinigami don't hear us.'_

"Why not?"

 _'They don't listen well enough. You do.'_

"I don't know anything about the shinigami. Mai, will you teach me what you know?"

...

"I can't believe you're acting like this," Kira huffed as they headed out of the meeting. "Over a woman!"

Shuuhei glanced at him. "Not _a_ woman; _the_ woman."

"What?"

"She's the woman; the only woman."

"How can you be sure? How long have you known her?"

Shuuhei shrugged. "I just know. I knew it when I kissed her."

"Yeah. You're not thinking right. You're not thinking with the head on your shoulders."

"There's nothing wrong with my thinking." With that, Shuuhei flash stepped back to the Academy and back to Hitomi. He sat next to her on the grass. "What are you doing?"

"Reading. Mai gave me a book to read about the shinigami. I don't know anything about them." Hitomi closed the book and looked at him.

"I could tell you whatever you wanted to know."

"You were in a meeting. How was it?"

Shuuhei thought back to his meeting. He couldn't remember any details about it. Shrugging, he said, "It was what you would expect out of a meeting."

Hitomi laughed. "You weren't paying attention."

"Not really." Shuuhei stood up and reached out for her hand to help her up. "Let me take you back to my quarters and I'll show you what I was thinking about instead."

...

A week later, Shuuhei found himself making the now familiar path to the Academy to get Hitomi after work. As he walked into the butterfly sanctuary, someone hailed him.

"Excuse me, Vice Captain Hisagi."

"Yes, Sensei," he addressed the shinigami instructor that helped the students and new shinigami train with the Hell Butterflies.

"I'm sorry, but this is not a place for you to drop off your girlfriend. I would think as a Vice Captain, you would know that."

"I'm sorry, but Hitomi likes coming here. The Hell Butterflies ask her to come back." He hesitated on mentioning that one of them follows her back to his quarters.

"I know one of them leaves with her. I know all of the Hell Butterflies here and whether they are here or not."

"If it's a problem, I can..."

"Actually, I'd like to speak to you both. Go get her."

Unsure about what was about to happen, Shuuhei went to get Hitomi.

"How was work?" she asked when she saw him.

"It was..." He sighed and glanced behind him. "She wants to talk to us."

"Well, let's go see what she has to say." Hitomi gave him a reassuring smile.

...

"You don't ever have to go back to Rukongai," Shuuhei told Hitomi as she laid beneath him on the couch.

"Was that ever an option?" She kissed him, shifting beneath him. The shift caused the skirt of her dress to fall further up her leg. Shuuhei moved one of his legs between hers.

"I like having you here." His hand moved down her leg. Hitomi reached between them and untied his obi. Shuuhei kissed her again, and thought that if they were going to take this further, he'd prefer them be in his bedroom rather than on the couch. Her hand opened his uniform as her fingers glided over his chest.

Hitomi jerked when someone shouted for them to stop. Shuuhei groaned and buried his head in her shoulder.

 _'You can't. You have to be pure for the ceremony.'_

"What?" Hitomi asked.

The Hell Butterfly landed on Shuuhei's shoulder. _'You can't be intimate with him. You have to be pure for the ceremony.'_

"Because being impure is going to make me...?"

 _'Tradition states that a person of your position should be pure.'_

"Please tell me that's not forever." She turned her head toward Shuuhei. "Can you hear this?"

"Hear what? You had good aim."

"Aim?" Hitomi looked down at their legs and realized what had happened. Gently she moved her leg out from between his legs. "I'm sorry. I can kiss it and make it better."

Struggling with that image, he sat on his knees and looked down at her. "Well if you want to, I won't stop you." Shuuhei smirked at her. "What was I supposed to hear?"

She pushed her skirt down and sat up. "I have to stay 'pure' until the ceremony."

Shuuhei thought a moment as he tied his obi. "How pure is pure?"

Hitomi looked at the butterfly and then back at Shuuhei. "You probably don't want to know." She kissed him. "That's acceptable."

He let out a breath. "Something tells me it's going to be a long three weeks." He reached out and pulled her to him. His mouth crushed hers as he pushed his want for her into the kiss. Hitomi held onto him. There was no other option for her. As he assaulted her mouth, she met his heat with her own. The kiss softened as his want cooled.

"Wow," Hitomi muttered when they broke apart a few minutes later.

Shuuhei smiled at her. "We'll make it." As he leaned over to kiss her again, the door burst open.

"Hisagi-san!" A blonde man rushed into Shuuhei's quarters.

"Izuru."

"Jidanbo needs your help at the gate."

"My help? Why?"

"I don't know. He said he needed you and your woman."

Shuuhei walked back to his bedroom and grabbed his zanpakuto. Looping it through his obi, he took Hitomi's hand. "I won't let anything happen to you." She nodded and they flash stepped to the west gate.

"It's about time you got here. They're trying to get through. I had to close the gate."

"Who?"

"Take a look for yourself."

Shuuhei flash stepped to the top of the gate with Hitomi. As they looked down at the people on the other side of the gate, Shuuhei realized who they were.

"No. It can't be," Hitomi muttered in disbelief.

"Your place is here with me and the Hell Butterflies. I won't let them take you." Shuuhei kissed her temple softly. He flashed stepped further behind the men. "Step away from the gate."

"No. One of you shinigami took off with one of our women. We want her back."

"Why?"

"She wasn't up for taking. She had already been betrothed to my brother."

"What was her name?" Shuuhei asked.

"It was..." The man hesitated.

Shuuhei held back his grin. "Can you describe her?"

"She has one too many fingers. She owes us for stealing from our stand."

"Ok. Other than that? What did she look like?"

"She wore a cloak," the first man revealed. "She was taller than my brother but not as tall as me."

"I'm sorry. You're going to have to be more specific."

"She wasn't shinigami scum. If you're hiding her, that makes you an accomplice to her crimes. We can take your finger instead," the first man leered.

"You can try," Shuuhei retorted.

"Her name was Hitomi," one of the other men shouted. Shuuhei's eyes went wide.

The first man studied Shuuhei. "You know something. You know where she is. You have her."

"There is a new student at the Shinigami Academy named Hitomi, but you can't have her. She's joined the shinigami."

The first man narrowed his eyes. "We'll fight you for her."

"That's not an option." Shuuhei put a hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto.

The first man stood back as one of the others approached Shuuhei. He pulled out a dagger. As he lunged, Shuuhei flash stepped behind him. The man missed and his brother joined the fight.

From the top of the wall, Hitomi watched two of the men fight Shuuhei. The man who had first spoken stood back closer to the gate. She watched as he crouched down next to the gate, but she couldn't make out what was happening. Looking over at Shuuhei, she saw one man on the ground with his arms behind his back.

The man with the dagger lunged at Shuuhei again, but the shinigami avoided the attacked. Shuuhei hit the man's arm and the dagger flew, landing in the ground. He didn't want to use his zanpakuto or kido. The only kido he used had been to bind the defeated man's arms behind his back. His fist connected with the man's face. The man stumbled. Shuuhei pushed him and he fell over. Binding the man's arms behind his back, Shuuhei looked over at the first man.

"Is this really necessary?"

"She owes us." The man stepped forward and held out his fist. Shuuhei realized what it was a moment too late. There was an explosion at the gate.

"Shuuhei!" Hitomi yelled.

He looked up to see her falling. Ignoring the man, Shuuhei flash stepped to catch Hitomi. Instead of taking her to the top of the wall, flash stepped back to the ground.

"Wait here." He kissed her forehead before turning to face the man.

"You know her pretty well, I'd say," he sneered. "Don't get too attached."

Shuuhei looked at him. "She's not going anywhere with you."

The man looked over at Hitomi. "What do you want?"

"I'm staying here; with the shinigami and Shuuhei. This is where I belong."

Unsatisfied with this answer, the man reached into his kimono. He pulled out a knife and headed for Hitomi. Shuuhei withdrew his zanpakuto and knocked the knife out of the man's hand.

"She's not for you!" the man screamed.

In a flash Shuuhei was behind him with his zanpakuto against the man's neck. "That's for her to decide, and she chose to stay here with me. It would be in your best interest to forget about her."

"We can take care of that, Vice Captain Hisagi."

Shuuhei looked behind him and saw Captain Kurotsuchi. The captain spoke to several of his division members who picked up the men already bound on the ground.

"Go ahead and bind him as well," Kurotsuchi instructed.

Shuuhei bound the man and sheathed his zanpakuto before he walked over to Hitomi.

"He has a fighting spirit. It will be interesting to see how long he lasts." With an evil cackle, Kurotsuchi followed the members of his division as they carried the three new test subjects to the twelfth division.

"I thought you were going to..." Hitomi spoke quietly.

"He put you in danger." Facing her, Shuuhei ran his finger down her cheek. "I didn't want to kill him, but when he went after you with the knife, I couldn't let anything happen to you."

"Would you have if that captain hadn't shown up?"

"I... I want to say no, but I can't be sure. I was taught to follow the path of least bloodshed. I wasn't thinking about that when he went after you. My only thought then was to stop him by any means necessary. No one hurts the woman I love." He brushed his lips over hers. "I love you, Hitomi and in three weeks after you become the new Mistress of the Hell Butterflies, I'll show you."

"In three weeks, I'll let you show me." Hitomi looked at him. "I love you, Shuuhei."


End file.
